A Hopeless Future
by Azuranaito
Summary: Earth is on the brink of extinction. War has broken out all over the planet. The small, persistent group of heroes of Popstar come to the planet to save it, predicted by the Goddess of Time and Space. But, along the way, a shocking discovery is made.
1. Chapter 1: The Journey

A Hopeless Future

 **Disclaimer: I own nobody on this story except for the OCs. I also do not own any songs that might be used on this story. They go to their proper owners and all rights of Kirby belong to Nintendo!**

 **Author's Note: If you haven't read the prequel to this story,** ** _Silence the Past,_ you won't be able to understand the plot of this story to the full extent. Well, let's get started anyway, shall we?**

Chapter 1: The Journey

 _"Then we must prepare today if we wish to make haste to Earth. Let's get to work."_ Those were the last words spoken on the matter of Earth's survival. Everyone was preparing to travel all the way to the Milky Way Galaxy just to fulfill the task of saving Earth. They scrambled like ants to get prepared for the journey. Meta Knight was first to walk out of the room, with the knaves and Callie following him.

"Lord Meta Knight, what are we going to do?" Sword asked. "Get prepared like everyone else is. We have a long journey ahead of us. We will have to carry as much as we can. Go to your quarters, maybe something useful might be in there. _Other than your armor and weapons of course..._ " "Right, Sir!" The two knaves said before running to their room. "Why'd you send them off for, Meta Knight?" "For the very reason of having us all gather any useful items we need. You have Azura Slicer, do you not?" "My own legendary sword? Why would I _not_ have it? But, I'll get more stuff!" Then Callie ran off. Meta Knight chuckled to himself. "For a girl who dreaded her birthplace, she is surely eager to go back to Earth. I had better get prepared myself." Then Meta Knight walked off to gather items to prepare for the journey.

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Victoria was doing what everyone else was: gathering useful items for the journey to Earth. All she found and packed so far were some clothes, her laptop, her 3DS, and a couple Warriors books. "Well, that's all I've found, but nothing that's 'useful'. Oh... how could Serafina say that _I_ am the hero that protects everyone in a major battle in the war?! I don't even have my own sword! But, I can't stand... b-blood..." Then she sighed. "I'd be more of a liability than an asset on this journey." Then Victoria sat down on her couch. "You know, you ain't helping the situation just throwing a pity party." Said a voice from behind her. Startled, Victoria whipped around significantly quickly. She saw that it was just Callie.

"Oh, it's just you, Callie." "I heard what you were saying." "You probably think I'm more of a burden than a help now, don't you?" "Well, stuff like this stresses out an untrained mind. Don't think for a second that you aren't just as useful as everyone else." "Well, what use _could_ I be?! I have no training! I just write FanFiction and make animations and have a childish quirkiness that gets super annoying at times! Look at _you_! You're so much more... mature than me. So much cooler than I am. You have so many things special about you; why don't I have any special quality?! You have sword training under your belt, you're just as strong- if not _stronger_ \- than Meta Knight, hell, you're even his dead wife's reincarnation! Why don't I have anything special that could help us?" "I'm not as special as you think, Victoria. I have qualities that can act as burdens too. My overbearing seriousness bums everyone I'm around out because I just can't take a joke. I tell things how they are- too much! And that hurts morale. Sure, I have my times when I'm perky and cheerful like you, but that can be explained as an autistic quirk. And whenever I'm in a mood and snap at everyone that comes around me, people would just say that I'm an absolute bitch, but I can't entirely help that I have a temperament of fire. I have drawbacks too. But you, Victoria? You lighten the mood up for everyone, even Kirby, and he's _always_ in a good mood! Sure, you can be _really_ annoying with your quirkiness sometimes, but that's just you. Everyone can feel at ease around you. Even Meta Knight. Do you understand?" Callie asked. Victoria just stared at her in disbelief. Callie said that she _can_ prove useful? She knew the sixteen year old was being sincere- after all- Callie told the truth so much that it can be both a blessing and a curse.

"Thanks, Callie." "It's no trouble. Now, come on. We gotta get ready." "Right!" And the two teenage Puffal girls left out of the room to prepare for their long journey furthermore.

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 _Let's see... Spare masks? Check. Armor? Check. Pendulum Amulet? Check. Healing potions? Check. The Orbital Anomoly device? Negative. Maybe it is still in my room. I had better go check- that device is the sole thing that will break the Halberd out of Popstar's orbit. Oh, this situation just had to be on one of the three years we have this damned temporal slowing._ Meta Knight thought to himself. He was on the Halberd battleship, a vessel Sword, Blade, and himself built. It was a grand ship indeed. It's immense size could actually benefit on the means of carrying passengers- that is, if something threatened the fate of Popstar, such as Nightmare attacking. Meta Knight sighed at the thought. If Nightmare found a way to inspirit darkness unto Earth... perish the thought! The Christian means of the Anti-Christ has already arrived and is slowly killing the Earth. _Anti-Christ... I'll have to ask either Callie or Victoria about that later..._ Meta Knight thought to himself. He was at the door to his room, when he heard arguing nearby.

 _Now, what is going on now?!_ It was too early and too late for ridiculous bickering. Meta Knight sighed before going to the source. The arguing was coming from the Ebrum apartment. Tiff and Tuff were arguing with their parents with the situation of going to Earth.

"Absolutely not! If it's that dangerous right now on Earth, I'm not going to let the both of you go!" Lady Like screamed at the two kids. "But we're supposed to go! We _have_ to go!" Tiff said. "Yeah! Serafina said it herself!" And with that response, the arguing only picked up. Meta Knight sighed. "I suppose we shall have to intervene, eh, milady?" He said, talking to the amulet. He summoned Serafina again. With light being present in the hallway, one could see that Serafina indeed looked much like a human. But, the main differences were her immense height, her very large angel wings that were exactly half of her total body height, the blue diamond in her right hand and the pink pearl in her left hand. She wore a white dress that looked slightly frilled, and it was so long that nobody could see her feet unless she were to walk. She had two giant circular shoulder pads that had the pearl and diamond on the same side as the gems in her hands. They were the same color too. The shoulder pads connected to a slight bit of armor that was on Serafina's upper chest- up to the top of her breasts.

"Oh? My dear Meta Knight, why do you call me so soon?" "I need your help to intervene in the argument that is going on in the Ebrum apartment." "Alright, my dear. Let us go in." And the two went into the apartment, unnoticed. The whole family was still arguing. Then, Meta Knight's voice cut through the turmoil like a hot knife through butter, with him saying: "I believe you need to stop this pointless arguing." And the four turned and saw both the knight and the goddess. "But Meta Knight, what about the safety of our children?" Lady Like asked. When Meta Knight began to speak, Serafina raised a hand that silenced his thought and she voiced it for him, but with her altercations. "What about the safety of the Earth, Lady Like? This could also happen with Popstar, and if it does... we will need all of the help we can get. Also, in the alternate future I saw, they have an important role for a certain battle, and it may just save the lives of thousands." The two adults stared at the humanoid goddess with disbelief. Their children... responsible for saving thousands of lives?! That is incredible. "Tiff, Tuff. You can go." Sir Ebrum finally said. The two kids smiled big. "But please, don't be gone too long!" Lady Like added. "We won't, Mom." "And I shall make sure of that. Time is my mastery. Space is my devotion. If you combine the two, the rifts and portals shall be as clear as crystal." Serafina said. "Let's go you two, considering you have all of your items gathered." Meta Knight then added before he and Serafina walked to the entryway.

"We have all of our things, Sir Meta Knight, but we'll need a little bit of help." Tiff explained. "Please, allow me. I will be staying with you all for a long while." "You're going with us, Serafina? Awesome!" Tuff exclaimed. Serafina just chuckled. "What an amusing boy. I shall meet up with you at the Halberd when we are ready to leave, Meta Knight." "I just need to install the Orbital Anomoly device that will help us break out of Popstar's orbit." "Orbital Anomoly?" "It is a cosmic event that happens with Popstar every three years. Everything, including the planet's orbit slows down. That being said, it is also harder to leave the planet's orbit due to the slower speed. Now, let me get your belongings." Then Serafina went to get Tiff and Tuff's items for the journey to Earth.

"Alright, now that that troubling issue has been taken care of, I better get the device." Then Meta Knight went back to his room like he intended to before the... distraction. He went inside and spied a small, octagonal device with three red rivets and four buttons on one side of it. This small, diminutive device, believe it or not, was the Orbital Anomoly device. Meta Knight picked up the device off of the bed. He turned back for a second. _Hmm... nothing said I cannot travel comfortably in my own ship. I should take my things off of the bed._ Setting the slightly mischievous thought in motion, Meta Knight snatched the pillow and cover off of his bed and went on with his business, carrying the Orbital Anomoly device and his other items with him to the Halberd.

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Everyone met outside. The Halberd was already out of the secret hangar and ready to be flied across millions of miles of the vacuum of space. King Dedede stood on a small stage while the Cappies gathered below him. He was currently announcing their departure.

"Attention citizens of Cappytown! I have an important announcement to make," Then the Cappies murmured amongst themselves. "Please! Silence yourselves, your king is announcing something of great importance!" Serafina said, raising her hand in the air, silencing the Cappies. "Thank you, Lady Serafina. As I was saying, I, along with Kirby, Callie, Meta Knight, Sir Sword, Sir Blade, Victoria, Tiff, Tuff, and Escargoon will be traveling to Earth," And the cacophony of chatter started again. King Dedede just groaned before saying, "Can one of y'all come up here to shut these goddamn Cappies up?!" Then Callie raised her hand. "I'll do it, and y'all might wanna hold your ears." Then Callie screamed to the top of her lungs, silencing the Cappies. "Discuss, later. Right now y'all need to listen to what we have to say!" Then Callie hopped off the small wooden stage. "Ok... now, like what I was saying... uhh... Escargoon, you have the floor from here." "Thank you, Sire. Ok, now, why we are leaving to go to Earth, is because the life there is in danger. War has broke out all over the planet by a group of Islam Humans called 'Isis'. They are the ones basically responsible for what many on Earth call 'World War 3'. We are going to go to Earth to end that war and ensure that life there will stay alive, and, if we don't, life there will all die due to nuclear warfare. If there are any questions, do not be hesitant to ask." Then Meta Knight's eyes flashed a pale red before he went to the snail and whispered in his ear. "What!?" "Yes. We needn't delay any further; we have to leave." Then they went to the Halberd. But Kirby called out from the ship, saying, "Kaabi wiww miss aww of you!" And the door to the ship closed.

"We can't waste anymore time, we have to hurry and break out of our atmosphere." "Right! Who knows how much worse that war will get while we're still in this galaxy. Power the ship up, Meta Knight!" Callie said. Meta Knight nodded, doing what she asked. The thrusters fired up like a flaming heart. The ship began to ascend higher into the air. In less than fifteen minutes, the Halberd broke through the lower halves of the atmosphere. When the ship went into the mesosphere, Meta Knight activated the Orbital Anomoly device, increasing the power output put forth from the reactor by double. In half of the time, the ship broke through the mesosphere and went into the thermosphere. Eventually, the ship broke out of orbit and it began to get four times harder from there.

"Thank NOVA that's over. Now the onto the next matter: getting to Earth. What is the primary plan?" Meta Knight asked. "All we have so far is avoiding the dangers of space and keep the Halberd intact for our trip back to Popstar once we resolve the end of the Earth. That's it." Victoria said. Everyone else except Callie, Meta Knight, and Serafina shrugged their shoulders. "Are you kidding me!? We do not even have a Star Code for this planet, we will just be flying around for centuries, millennia even! And you fools don't even have a viable plan to save the Earth?!" "The matter only came up today, Meta Knight. Calm down, your anger and hastiness might kill us." Then Serafina raised her hand in the air. "I knew this day would come for many millennia. I have a special way for us to get to Earth, but we will have to travel for about seventeen hours." "T'at good, poyo!" Kirby chimed. Everyone smiled when the little one spoke.

"Well, alright then! _We_ travel for seventeen hours, take turns shifting person to keep us on course and we find this 'special passage'. I think that sounds fair, do all of you?" Callie asked. Everyone chattered in agreement. Then, the long journey officially begun.

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Almost seventeen hours passed on the long journey. Sword was manning the helm of the ship while Meta Knight laid on the ground, asleep. He had his mask taken off and his face facing the opposite of everyone else. Everyone remained on the bridge, due to orders by Meta Knight. Serafina was sitting close to Sword, keeping an intent eye on the horizon.

"Are we almost there, Serafina?" Sword asked. "Yes. Keep your eyes focused on your path." "Ok, I don't get this! Why have we been flying for 17 hours for?!" King Dedede asked in a furious shout. "Watch your tongue and tone. You are speaking to a goddess, not to mention that there is a hard working man asleep in a well deserved slumber because of the hell he endured in his visions just to get us here! And, look ahead here. See where space is distorted in colors of purple and pink? We are entering the Gateway of Dimensions." Then Serafina placed her hands on the sides of her head, and her dress changed into what looked like a one-piece swimsuit, with the exception of her shoulder pads, which were now smaller and sleeker. The gems in _her_ hands were glowing, and the gems in Meta Knight's amulet were doing the same. Callie nudged Meta Knight on the head, whispering in a soothing voice, "Wake up, Meta Knight." His silver eyes opened halfway. They looked tired, restless, like Meta Knight hadn't slept in ages. He sat upright and rubbed his eyes with the left hand, holding his mask with his right. He put it on and noticed the amulet glowing and hastily put it on.

"Are we here?" He asked. "Yes. But there is something I must warn you about." "What is it, Serafina?" Tiff asked. "A long time ago, Nightmare started creating the first demonbeasts. They were so powerful and so unstable that they escaped from Nightmare Enterprises into the stars. They can travel through dimension. Though, I can use a Dimensional Barrier to stop dimensional travel, I cannot block anything that is stationary in the wormhole, and I am afraid a _Jigen Kurākenwāmu_ has infiltrated the wormhole." "A _what_?!" Blade asked with complete confusion. " _J_ _igen Kurākenwāmu_ or Dimensional Kraken Worm. It is a very powerful and very large dimensional travel demonbeast. It is extremely unstable and can break the Halberd apart. I'll defend the ship because I am the only one that can go without breathing. I am immortal. I am unable to die. I won't let the ship be destroyed. I'll see us through. Meta Knight, you are to connect your will and mind with the amulet and guide the ship through safetly in case there are anymore obsticals ahead." Then the ship began to move again and Serafina phased through the roof onto the area of the Combo Cannon.

When the group came into the vortex, they saw many beautiful colors. Shades of purple, colors of pink, different reds, blues, and greens too. It was gorgeous. Everyone, even Meta Knight was awestruck. It was as if they were flying through a tube of rainbow colored sand, with the exception of the stars glimmering and twinkling.

"Wowee! Pwetty! Pwetty! So so pwetty poyo! Kaabi wanna gwab a stah poyo!" Kirby squealed happily. He hopped up and down, much to everyone else's amusement. But then, as they thought their travels through the wormhole were just a mere cakewalk, the first tentacle of the Dimensional Kraken Worm appeared. As it tried to swat the glass of the "windshield", a pink chain swatted the tentacle out of the vortex. _So that is a way Serafina will defend us...? Interesting._ Meta Knight thought to himself. "Alright everyone, we are under attack. We need to stay calm and not let our anxiety and emotions get the better of us. Stay calm, and find a safe shelter in case one of Serafina's defenses falters." And everyone scrambled to a safe place while Serafina fought the demon.

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Serafina was fighting off the first attack of the Dimensional Kraken Worm. A tentacle was going to strike the left wing when Serafina fired an attack from her right hand. The tentacle shook wildly and spasmed as blood gushed out from the wound. The tentacle sank out of the vortex. Then, in a bad twist of fate, fifteen more tentacles appeared as an earsplitting screech was heard. It was very similar to the screech heard in Meta Knight's dreams. Serafina gasped, realizing that the screech was none other than the demonbeast. She summoned the Pendulum Staff, gripping it tightly in her right hand. The Pendulum Staff was a six foot tall staff with a star centerpiece. It also had the pink spacial pearl and the blue temporal diamond. She charged an attack that made the diamond glow. She fired a temporal blast from the staff and it hit one of the tentacles. The blast reeled three other tentacles back. Serafina threw the staff at one of the tentacles, coming back like a boomerang in her left hand. She used another attack of Spacial Rend Chains that hit a mass amount of the tentacles. "Ugh, I grow tired of this. _Kūkan Boruto_!" A burst of energy harnessed by the power of space itself. The tentacles were all gone. But then, as the situation actually started to lighten, the Dimensional Kraken Worm actually appeared for real. It looked grotesque and hideous. There were streaks of pink on its head. Its eyes were black with red irises and pupils. Its mouth was always open and had thousands of teeth lining every bit of the mouth inside and it was always open in a gape-like manner. The beast roared, having lost most of its tentacles. The beast used its remaining tentacles to attack Serafina. She dodged with such grace and swiftness that would make the most expert Galaxy Soldiers and Star Warriors envious of the goddess. As the attacks missed by a narrow margin, Serafina knocked the tentacles away from the Halberd to keep the ship safe. She fired a blast, utilizing the powers of Time and Space right at the Kraken itself. Having no defenses powerful enough to stop the attack, the Dimensional Kraken Worm exploded to pieces, blood splattering everywhere, but prevented from getting on Serafina or the Halberd due to a barrier Serafina casted at the last second. She phased back through the roof of the ship.

"Well, that is done and out," Serafina said. She glanced at Meta Knight, who was in a deep focused state. Both gems on his amulet were glowing, as he figured out what Serafina meant by "connect your will and mind with the amulet". "So he is in total focus? That is promising." The others came out of the hiding places and went to the bridge to see Serafina completely unscaved. Everyone but Meta Knight rejoiced. He was still in deep focus. Escargoon went away from the happy celebration to the window. The end of the wormhole was in sight. He nudged Meta Knight, who broke out of focus and glared at the snail.

"Look, everyone! The end of the wormhole is in sight!" Escargoon yelled to the others. They all went closer to the 'windshield' and saw that he was right. In a matter of fifteen minutes, they were out of the wormhole.

It was clear where the group was now: the Solar System in the Milky Way Galaxy. They saw the bright red-orange star that was the Sun, they saw four planets, but one caught their eye in particular. A planet with colors of blue, green, and white. That was the Earth. "Wow. So that's what Earth looks like from space. It's beautiful." Callie mused to the others. "It won't be anything soon unless we do something. Let's go." And they went on, going ever so closer to the Earth.

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Alarms were going off. The sound of boots clacking on the smooth, concrete floor was heard along with the alarm. Those boots belonged to a woman. It was the woman originally seen on the news that informed the party of the impending doom of the Earth. She was 5'4 and had a slight statuesque figure. She wore a gray dress and her boots were gray to match. She wore a long white lab coat with a ray gun in a pocket of it. Her face looked similar to Callie's when she was still human. Eerily similar. Her hair though was much longer and was styled in a ponytail. A pair of welding goggles was on her head. She walked to a very important area in the Pentagon. A man with graying hair was standing at the entrance. He gave a four fingered salute when the woman passed by.

"Lieutenant." "Sergeant Smith." Then the woman walked up to the radar. "Why are the alarms sounding?" She asked one man at the radar. "Something's coming for us. A ship, Lieutenant." And the Halberd was pulled up on the radar. "It looks like something I've never seen, Lieutenant. Even our technology can't surpass a warship like that! Lieutenant?"

 _So he's coming. Meta Knight's actually coming back. This godsend made this war a hell of a lot more interesting..._

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 **Author's Note: First chapter is _FINALLY_ finished! *sigh* It took longer than expected. A couple of those words were in Japanese. Here are the translations, well, one was already translated, and that was the creature Serafina fought. Here is the other translation.**

 ** _Kūkan Boruto-_ Spacial Bolt**

 **That's all I have for now. The next chapter might not be as long. You never know XD! That's all I have for now. Till next time- CallieSizemore601.**


	2. Chapter 2: Shocking Discoveries

A Hopeless Future

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the OCs. Everyone else belongs to Nintendo (but y'all already knew that, huh?) There is also a song to be used in this chapter. I do not own that song (but I don't really know who wrote the song though...)**

Chapter 2: Shocking Discoveries

They were getting evermore closer to Earth. As the Halberd got closer to the Earth, it broke into the atmosphere. Fire blazed on the surface. "Keep it steady, Meta Knight!" Sword yelled. "I'm trying! The gravity on this planet is much more intense than that of Popstar, you imbecile! If I'm not careful, this ship will be crushed by the intensity, so do not yell at me! I am trying to keep us all alive!" Everyone was silent afterwards. They couldn't afford to deprave Meta Knight of needed focus. They eventually descended lower, about 2,550 feet above sea level.

 _Hmm... why do I sense danger ahead? It might not be nothing major, merely a sense of paranoia. But still... something feels... tense. Like something will attack us soon... I had better be on guard._ Meta Knight thought to himself as he flew the ship further. It sliced the sky with a sonicboom, able to be heard down below. They flied onward.

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The alarms were still blaring. From high in the air, a faint image of the Halberd was seen. The Lieutenant and four other soldiers were there. There were three Laser Shot Blasters placed in a triangle. Those devastating weapons can shoot from thousands of miles away and can easily destroy the most armored airships. While the Halberd was extremely armored on means of the human technology, it was still flying into trouble.

"Sergeant, you have the word to fire." The Lieutenant said. She walked further back. "Ok. Thank you, Lieutenant Sizemore. Alright! Fire One!" "Firing One." And the first Laser Shot Blaster was fired. It took three minutes to charge, as it was already locked onto its target- the left wing of the Halberd. The bright red laser hit dead on target, obliterating the left wing.

"The left wing is destroyed! We're losing stability because of it, Meta Knight!" Tiff yelled. "Retract the sails! Give more lift to the left wing!" Back down below, the second laser was charging. "Fire Two!" Yelled Sergeant Smith. The second laser charged up. "Firing Two." And the second laser fired. This one hit the right wing."

"Oh no! Both wings are destroyed!" Tiff yelled. "Meta Knight, are we-" Meta Knight cut off Callie's question by raising a gloved paw to her face. "No. As long as the reactor doesn't get destroyed, we will be alright." "I hope so..." Said the worried teen. She placed her hands together and began to pray. The final laser was almost done charging. "Stop firing." The Lieutenant said. "We can't. We have to blow whatever's up there down!" "I said hold your fire. HOLD. YOUR. FIRE!" "Um... it's... too late, Lieutenant..." " _WHAT?!_ " The third and final laser was fired at the Halberd. It hit dead center at the reactor. The airship began to plummet out of the sky.

 _Goodbye... everyone. We couldn't even help anyone. Goodbye Kirby. Goodbye Serafina. Goodbye... Meta Knight..._ Callie thought. She really thought it was the end. Well... her outcome was to be proven wrong. Serafina, in amidst the chaos of everyone except the knights yelling with fear, used a temporal spell to slow the descent of the Halberd into its destruction. It crashed two miles away from the Pentagon. The Lieutenant, plus several other soldiers, including Sergeant Smith walked to the side entrance of the Halberd. The Lieutenant pulled up the sleeves of her lab coat and dress, revealing dark gray cybernetic armor. She tapped a button on her armor that pulled up an infrared heart scanner. She scanned the ship all around. Ten blips on the radar appeared, but there was one extra signature. It showed blue on the radar- usually a sign that there was a corpse on board.

"How many signatures on the heart monitor, Lieutenant?" "Ten. I think there's an extra signature, sign of a casualty on board. All ten seem to have warm blood, at least, that's what the monitor says. No signs of human life on that ship though..." "I'm going in!" "Corporal, no!" The soldier kicked down the door of the ship. She saw the heroes. Escargoon had his hands in the air, quivering with fear. King Dedede slapped them down. The soldier didn't see any sign of Serafina. She probably disappeared or turned herself invisible. "Get out of there, Corporal Lindsay!" The soldier didn't obey. Instead, she tried to attack the heroes, but a beam whip came out of nowhere and snatched her out of the Halberd. They heard yelling from outside, and a fearful cry of: "OK! OK! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN, PLEASE DON'T LET ME ENDURE THAT HELL AGAIN!" And then there was silence. Footsteps could be heard as another woman stepped in, much older looking than the young soldier that tried to attack the party. Callie and Meta Knight readied their swords, anticipating an attack.

"Please. I mean no harm. Meta Knight... Kirby... Sword, Blade, Tiff, Tuff, and King Dedede and Escargoon too. It has been so long." Everyone was stunned. This mysterious woman knew their names?! How was that possible?! "Who are you? How do you know our names?" Meta Knight asked in his most interrogative voice. The Lieutenant laughed a little. "After all these years... you're the same as ever. But, you seriously don't remember me? That's quite sad, though I'm not surprised, it _has_ been 28 years." "Stop dodging the question! Who are you?!" Meta Knight asked again, though it sounded more like a demand than a question. The Lieutenant was unfazed, and she laughed again. "Meta Knight... maybe this will jog your memory," Then she cleared her throat, and, in a very good imitation of Callie so good that it was terrifying, she said, "Excuse me, Meta Knight, but, how in the hell did you, your knaves, and the King's lackey wind up here, in Mississippi, in Perry Central, of _ALL_ places in the world and the United States?! You have the floor to explain now, sir." And Meta Knight was amazed. Those were the exact same words Callie said two years ago when she first met him, Sword, Blade, and Escargoon. How did that woman know about that?! "Doesn't ring a bell, huh? Well, I said that 28 years ago when I was fourteen, when I first met you. Do you not recognize me at all? It's me! Callie Omega Sizemore!" But then, Callie spoke up, saying, "Hey... that's my name! Unless...!" "I am not your future self, Callie. In fact, I am a clone of you." Everyone gasped.

"A... _clone?!_ " Meta Knight asked with disbelief. "Yes. A genetic replica of Callie herself. I can explain much more about this situation. Would you wish for me to?" "Of course we would!" King Dedede bellowed from the back of the helm. Lieutenant Callie sighed in response. "Let's go. I can get the Halberd to my secret hangar near my home." "Oh, no, we have our own way. Would you and your... erm... soldiers, please turn around, Miss... Callie?" Escargoon chimed. "I suppose. Everyone, turn around." Everyone, including Lieutenant Callie turned around. Kirby then whispered, "Sewafina poyo! Sewafina!" And Serafina appeared.

"How may I help? I never left, but the humans needn't have any knowledge of my existence." Serafina explained. Everyone nodded in response. "That is a good point, Serafina, but can you teleport the Halberd to Lieutenant Callie's secret hangar near her home?" "So you found out? Good. That makes everything easier, but it was inevitable. I better extinguish the flames on the ship." And Serafina made the flames disappear before she teleported the damaged Halberd away before turning herself invisible again. "You can turn around now." Victoria said. They did so.

"We are all good. I contacted my commanding officer, and I can take you to my house in Washington DC." "You don't live in Mississippi anymore?" Tiff asked. "That hellhole of incess and ignorance?! Not a chance! I may live in a city, but I'm glad I got away from Mississippi! Come, come. I'll take you to my house. Sergeant Smith, you are in charge of everyone." Sergeant Smith gave Lieutenant Callie a four fingered salute before he and the other soldiers marched off.

"Alright. It will be a bit of a walk before we get to my car. Follow me." And with no hesitation, they followed Lieutenant Callie to her vehicle.

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It took a couple hours for the group to arrive at Lieutenant Callie's home. When they pilled up at the driveway, they saw the house was three stories high. It had a slanted roof that was pointed leeward to the northern winds. "Watch your step." Lieutenant Callie said when she got out of the car. Everyone carefully stepped out of the car. "Hmm, nice place, ya got. Cal- Lieutenant Callie?" "King Dedede, there is no need for formalities. They are trivial concerns!" "But it's kind of confusing with two Callie's around." Escargoon said. Lieutenant Callie just laughed. "Then I guess your heads will spin like a top! Come in, come in!" Then Lieutenant Callie opened the door to her house.

It was a very nice assemble. It looked rustic, but a nice touch of modern features added to it. The interior living room had wooden walls and a hardwood floor. There were things of furniture scattered in a neat and tidy manner, most unlike how the clone Callie was when she was a teenager. Pictures of a younger Callie and her brother were hanging in the room. A 56 inch flat screen TV was hung on the wall, with a DirecTV Hi-Def receiver underneath on a small wooden object. Several cool gray couches were arranged in the room, and a roomba laid next to one, dusty with age.

"It is a very nice house, Callie. Very sophisticated with a rustic charm." Meta Knight said, breaking the silence. "Thank you. Unlike in my days as a youth, I wanted to take care of my house. The government provided me with this house, and it was much like this when I received it. Although, I don't trust politicians, these people have been very hospitable. To both myself and my family." "Your family? Like Gabe and Alex as examples?" Callie asked. "Alex is basically dead to me. But Gabe? Our poor brother is going through hard times. Since he doesn't have a job; he lost his job a good deal of years ago when Tim died, and since he doesn't have much of a will to find another job, he's stuck in Mississippi asking for a few thousand dollars every other month. I remember him coming up to visit once or twice a couple months back. Oh, what am I saying? I keep babbling away on matters that are unimportant." "Oh, it's quite alright! Really. It's actually a little relaxing not hearing about anything like the Cappies would drone on about back at Popstar." Tiff remarked. "I'm flattered you feel that way, Tiff. Well, you all can explore the house; it will be where you all will live at. There are enough rooms for everyone. The bottom levels, steer clear of. That is where my lab experiments are. This level, and the second level are where the bedrooms are. Go on and explore a bit." Lieutenant Callie said, removing her lab coat and goggles. She and everyone else dispersed and went on to the next room.

They went into what looked like the kitchen. There was a large refrigerator with alphabet magnets arranged to say, "I love you, Mommy"- From Katrina. A picture of a baby Callie and another baby girl were side by side. The baby girl on the left was Callie as a baby. The girl on the right looked just like the baby Callie image. Both had brown eyes and brown hair, and a bright smile. The others were caught by surprise when a small blue pit bulldog ran up to Lieutenant Callie, yapping and barking and wagging its tail happily. A young girl ran in after the pup afterwards. "Silver, you know better t'an t'at!" Then she looked up at the Lieutenant and smiled. "Mommy! Mommy!" "Katrina! It's so good to see you, darling." Then another woman ran in. She wore glasses and her hair was faintly similar to Victoria's. It was longer, but slightly thinner. She was about two and a half inches shorter than Lieutenant Callie. She was panting with exhaustion.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back, Callie! Katrina and Silver could not stop five minutes just to eat, to take a nap, anything! Hey... is that... Kirby?!" "Yes, Victoria, they're back." Everyone but Lieutenant Callie and the human Victoria gasped. "There's a Clone Victoria?! Oh NOVA, is she anything like this Victoria?!" King Dedede asked, hyperventilating a little bit afterwards. Lieutenant Callie just facepalmed. "Dedede... do you _honestly_ think a forty year old woman such as herself would act ditzy and childish? She still writes stories, in fact, she's a bestselling author for five novels! She has moments now and then, but apart from that, Victoria is a mature woman." "My clone is forty? ... Oh, wait, I'm younger because of that Orbital Anomoly. Never mind." Everyone but Victoria sweatdropped after that.

"Ok, then... I think it would be best for us to discuss why you all are here. Victoria, do you want a hundred?" "No, I insist. Katrina is a good little girl, and very smart, and, we have been friends for a long time. Why do you even ask if I want anything?" "I just don't necessarily feel right sending someone off without anything in return; it is both a conscience thing and an honesty issue with me- I really don't have a 'scientifically acceptable' way of explaining that." "Oh." Then something beeped on the Clone Victoria's wrist. "Oh geez! I have to go!" And the Clone Victoria left out of the house. "Well... I guess we can discuss these issues now. Where do you wish for us to meet?" Meta Knight asked. "I believe it would be best for us to discuss our matters in the living room.

"Alright, now, matters begin with the most important. And that is this question: why are you here?" "We're here to help. We're here to end this damned war, because we know of the eventual outcome." "So you are aware, huh? I thank you for this. The rapid technological advances in the near three decades from when I was fourteen, not to mention 28 years of war against Isis, and so on. We are actually in a third World War; and it is worse than the other two. Our technology may be beneficial, but it is also the cause of our deaths. I am actually the leader of the Northern Forces, an army branch of our military from one region of the United States." "So, you're like the leader of your own army?" Tiff asked. "It would be like an analogy. Whereas I am to the Northern Forces, Sir Arthur is to the Galaxy Soldier Army." At that comment, Meta Knight's eyes flashed a brief shade of pink. Lieutenant Callie just chuckled at that.

"Um, Callie? I'm still confused though. Are there more clones like you?" Tiff asked. "Kaabi confused abaht t'at too. Awe t'ewe weawwy mowe?" Kirby added. "Yes. There are many many clones. I am just the prototypical clone." "Prototypical? Does that mean you were the first clone made?" "Victoria and I are the first human clones made. In the year 2018, a very brilliant scientist named Maria Simms invented a cloning device. Oh, what a compassionate woman. She said her purposes for the machine were to bring back children who's either died or disappeared, and she wanted to resurrect some of the prehistoric animals, but never got down to doing so. When Mom and Dad heard about her price for her experiment, which was a mere $500, they immediately sent a hair sample and the money. I arrived back home four weeks later, aged to be the true age of seventeen." "Oh, I get it!" Tuff chimed. "But what about Katrina, Callie? Did you adopt her? Or did you have her, because your baby pictures on the refrigerator look just alike." "No, Blade, I _didn't_ adopt Katrina, obviously. I did give birth to her, but she barely survived, and here is why: Ms. Maria said that clones- be they human or be they animal- are supposed to be infertile. However, I have broken that theory, but there are said to be bugs in every prototypical clone or item. Clones, while they are the exact genetic match of a person or animal, they lack a couple genes that protect their offspring from certain illnesses and birth defects. Katrina had a brain defect when she was born, and the doctors said that there was a slim chance of her surviving. However, she was a very lucky child, for she not only survived, but thrived. She inherited the autistic syndrome I have, although it has a more major effect on her. She is extremely intelligent for a mere three years of age, but she has major social issues; she doesn't get along well with children her own age at all. She has major trust issues, and therefore doesn't speak with anyone unless I trust them. Plus, I never really let her out of the house, due to how dangerous it is nowadays, so I might just get an electronical training program. The stuff I learned in kindergarten through twelfth grade are obsolete now." Everyone stared at the Lieutenant in a daze, taking in every word she explained to them all.

Lieutenant Callie looked down at her wrist and checked the time, gasping afterwards. "Oh my! We were talking for three hours! It's almost 6:00. Just- just look around and find which room you want to settle into. I have plenty of bedrooms, like I had probably already said." And they dispersed, going about their own business in the house.

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It was 9:48 at night. Everyone was in their rooms that they chose to sleep in from this day forward. Callie and Meta Knight were in a room that was two rooms down from the Lieutenant and her daughter. Callie was already asleep, but Meta Knight, however, was not. Even though he had the Seal of Silence placed within his memories, he could not find any serene sleep. But who could blame him? This was indeed one of the most shocking of days for the old soldier. He laid in the bed maskless, waiting for rest. Then, he heard someone singing. Curiosity getting the best of him, he followed the noise. He walked out of his room and saw a light coming from Katrina's room. He walked to the door, peeking in at the little girl. She was very small, being 2'10. She had very short but very curly hair. Her face is nearly identical to Lieutenant Callie's, with the exception of her freckles. Apart from that, the face looked exactly the same- the brown eyes, the dark circles under the eyes, everything. She was the one singing the song.

" _Let's go in the garden_

 _You'll find something waiting_

 _Right where you left it_

 _Lying upside down_

 _When you finally find it_

 _You'll see how it's faded_

 _The underside is lighter_

 _When you turn it around_

 _Everything stays_

 _Right where you left it_

 _Everything stays_

 _But it still changes_

 _Ever so slightly_

 _Daily and nightly_

 _In little ways_

 _When everything stays..."_

And that's when Katrina stopped singing and smiled. She turned around and sighed afterwards. "I know you're t'ere. Come in, I won't hu't you." She said. Meta Knight was hesitant for a moment, but he finally came in after a couple minutes. "Can't sleep?" She asked, not turning around. "Yes." Meta Knight answered. Katrina jumped onto her bed, turning to see Meta Knight. "She's concewning you, isn't she?" "Who? Your mother?" "No. The girl. Said to be Mama's weal self." "Ah. You mean the real Callie, don't you?" "Yes. Are you wowwied you'll lose her? To the pain of the war?" "... Yes. How do you-" "Know? Let's just say that is a secwet all its own. I get these wiewd tendencies to wead minds, I think Mommy calls it 'psychic powahs'." Then Katrina turned to Meta Knight. "T'ewe is good reason for you to wowwy. But I won't tell you. I don't think you'we weady to find out yet. The whispers say so." "What whispers, Katrina? And are you sure you aren't just hearing delusions?" "I'm sure, Meta Knight." Then Katrina crawled under her covers and shut down what was left of her lights.

"I won't tell you what t'ey tell me. The weight is too heavy to bear, even fow you, sir. Even Sewafina won't tell you." "How do _you_ know about Serafina?! Tell me!" "I can't. I promised t'em, t'ey wanted to wawn you. T'at's abaht as good as I can make it out to be. I'm sowwy." Then Katrina went to sleep, leaving an awestruck and shocked Meta Knight in suspense. That didn't ease his nerves. He went back into his room, lying down for a sleepless night that night. What did Katrina mean by 'lose her to the pain of war'? He was especially shocked that a toddler could actually read his mind; several times to add it all up. He still had questions about her statements. Sadly, he was too exhausted to summon Serafina, or at least call her unto him out from her hiding place. He closed his eyes to go to sleep, but to no avail. The girl's statements unnerved him, scared him even.

 _What does she mean about that?! Will Callie really die during this war?! I... I don't understand. In this short time, I have known her, not only myself, but everyone else has became close to her. They would be devastated to see her die. Maybe she won't, but I refuse to tell them. I won't tell them. Not even for the cost of my own life, I will take this to the grave..._

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 **Author's Note: OK, in my opinion, I kinda think this is the most boring chapter so far. It's mostly a transitional chapter that would just add to the atmosphere and theme. I would've made it longer, if what I have so far wasn't good enough.**

 **Creepy stuff at the end. A three year old with psychic ability. That just probably helped with foreshadowing. The technological advance of a cloning device would probably never happen, you might never know. They've at least made a new ally in the war. This might possibly be the shortest chapter in the story (even though it's merely the second chapter, no big deal. Add sci-fi to the list of possible tags, too.)**

 **Well, read and review as the story flows on, I'd appreciate that. Till next time- CallieSizemore601.**


	3. Chapter 3

A Hopeless Future

 **Disclaimer: I own nobody from this story except the OCs. Should I keep doing this? Also, I don't own Fauna, Kirbywarriorsfan122 owns this character.**

Chapter 3: Physical Exertions and Gripping Tensions

Kirby woke up bright and early that morning. He stretched as he got out of the bed, yawning a little. He walked out of the room and into the dining room. He already saw that everyone was awake. Lieutenant Callie was talking to someone in the living room. Callie was sitting next to Meta Knight with a worried expression on her face.

"Somet'ing wong? Why Cawwie wook scawed?" Kirby asked. "Meta Knight's been acting unusual. It's freaking me out..." Callie replied. "I am not acting unusual. I am perfectly fine!" Meta Knight retorted, which earned him an unamused expression from Callie. "Yes, you are. Something's bothering the hell out of you and I wanna know what." "I cannot tell you. It is for the best that you don't probe me with trivial questions. Does that sound familiar?" Meta Knight asked, referring to words Callie spoke on her last day at Perry Central, when she was upset one day. He heard a growl utter from her throat, making him cringe inwardly. Lieutenant Callie came in, still talking to the mystery person.

"Yes, I'm aware, but I have guests that need to come with me. I know they're unauthorized, but they won't mean him- or anyone in that matter- any harm. Who are they? They aren't human, they're extraterrestrials that were my friends when I was a teen. Dammit, Frosthawk, they aren't imaginary! I don't lie! Ugh, I'll see you in 25 minutes." Then she hung up and yelled angrily afterwards. "Who were you talking to, Callie?" Sword asked. "My _'commanding officer'_ , Agent Frosthawk. He's the biggest imbecile ever to set foot in the Secret Service in all my days. He was who first scouted me, and damn, I can't stand idiocy and arrogance, and that man oozes that! I'll have to try and meet President McCloud before I suffer through another _briefing_. Let's go." "But what about breakfast? I'm starving!" Whined King Dedede. "No, it's better we leave **_NOW_**. Let's _go._ " Lieutenant Callie said through gritted teeth. And she walked off out of the room. Katrina stopped Kirby and the others.

"Be careful. T'ere's a mean man at tah White House. T'ere may be somet'ing bad t'at happens soon..." Then she hugged them all one by one and scurried off. "That was... weird..." Blade commented. It made Meta Knight shudder a little. "Indeed...!" "Is there something wrong, Meta Knight?" Tiff asked. "I'm... fine. Let's just follow the Lieutenant..." And Meta Knight hurried out of the door to Lieutenant Callie's car. Everyone else looked at each other with worried looks, walking to the vehicle afterwards. "Let's go, Agent Frosthawk hates it when I'm late," Then Lieutenant Callie growled, muttering in a deadly, venomous voice, "Damn that sorry ass mother fucker to hell!" She turned the car on, driving on to the White House.

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The drive wasn't very long. Nobody said anything during the entire car ride. The lack of conversation added to an atmosphere heavy and thick with tension. While some wanted to engage conversation, the threat of setting of the very disgruntled and furious Lieutenant was too high a price to pay. Callie at her most furious topples even the super hot-tempered King Dedede; proof of that theory was what she did to Meta Knight one time when she was furious with him. The others had nightmares for weeks because of that "incident". Having a furious soldier would only make things even worse. The gripping tension eased only slightly when they arrived at the gate to the White House. Agents were all around the grounds, keeping unauthorized visitors at bay. When the Lieutenant approached the gate, two Secret Service agents blocked it.

"We need to get by. Can you two please move out of the way?" "Lieutenant Sizemore, you seem to have ten unauthorized extraterrestrials with you. Care to explain why you have these... beings with you?" "They're here with me because they have to come. President McCloud will tell you once I talk to him. I'll be late to speak with Agent Frosthawk if you don't move. They won't harm the president, or anyone in that matter. Just let me by, or do you want to get court marshaled?" With that simple question, the agents immediately backed off and opened the gate, the Kirby Characters following the Lieutenant in silence.

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They went inside, spying out multitudes of doors and paintings. All of were of the past presidents. Nobody spoke to each other for more than twenty minutes. It was numbing and agonizing. The first to break the silence was Callie, who asked, "Who are we seeing first?" "I'll try to get to the Oval Office to see President McCloud. If we run into Frosthawk, do not engage with him; that is _my_ responsibility. Let's keep going." And they kept walking for another eight minutes, and they surely were in the home stretch. Unfortunately, a man noticed the group of eleven and walked towards them. Lieutenant Callie growled a low, almost inaudible growl, cursing the most hateful things under her breath.

"Lieutenant Sizemore. I was beginning to worry, you lovely enigma. You're late. Won't you and your... creature friends come with me?" Asked the man. It was clear he was Agent Frosthawk. He was a tall man, almost six feet in height. He was six inches taller than the 5'4 Lieutenant. His hair was jet black, but the sides of it were graying. He was clean shaven on the face, but a large scar on his face, about on the jawline, tainted his visage. For the most peculiar part, he had one eye that was a deep blue like Kirby's eyes, but one that was a color that looked like a reddish purple. It was the most bizarre thing the Kirby Characters had seen. They saw that the man had a slight stocky figure, though that could be said for the fact he had cybernetic armor on like Lieutenant Callie, although he didn't hide his dark gray armor. A small insignia was seen on the left shoulder, too small to make out. They walked to an office not too far from where they ran into Frosthawk. Meta Knight wasn't too trusting around this man, and kept silent. Something about him was extremely suspicious. It reigned true when they first encountered the man in the tone of voice he spoke, not to mention the extremely suspicious insignia.

"Well now, we have much to discuss, regarding recent events..." "I guess it's to regard myself and my old friends here." The Lieutenant replied with a small smirk on her face. Agent Frosthawk stared down the scientist with a glare. "Yes. Why did you spare them? Any and all extraterrestrials should be destroyed. What makes these so special?" The agent asked in a very cold tone of voice. King Dedede glared angrily at him, growling and stomping close to him, but Lieutenant Callie raised her arm in front of the penguin. "Let me handle this." She whispered to the king. "Ugh, fine." He responded angrily, walking backwards towards the door. "Well, aren't you going to answer?" _Oh shut up, you imbecile._ The Lieutenant thought to herself. "They... are my old friends. Now, can I please see President McCloud for what he needs me for?" There was a moment of silence. Then Agent Frosthawk began laughing. " _Old friends?!_ How? Alien life hasn't been proven to exist for years! And you bring these adorable wittle beings for what purpose?" Lieutenant Callie slammed her fist on the desk and yelled, "TO END THIS GOD FORSAKED WAR!" "Oh, how can they end the war? Two of them are children, a pair of them are foot tall androids, four of those creatures are living **_gumdrops_** , and two of them are giant animals! How _can_ they help us beat Isis? I bet they won't even hurt a fly!" And Agent Frosthawk continued laughing. "BE QUIET!" And then the Lieutenant landed a right cross on the agent with inhuman strength. It sent the man flying into the back wall. Blood poured from his nose and mouth. He spat out two teeth.

"You stupid Cossack! How can you even speak of my friends in such a manner?! Kirby, Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade have more combat experience than some of the weak minded cowards you've scouted. These two young ladies right here are the real Callie Sizemore and Victoria Bonner, the very girls that have disappeared from the face of the Earth 28 years ago, and you have the tenacity to call these formerly human _**Puffals**_ _gumdrops?!_ Tiff and Tuff are children, true, but they have abilities unique for their age! Tiff has extreme intelligence, greater than yours, in fact, Tuff could handle a ray gun and get to town with it. And as for King Dedede and Escargoon. True, they appear to be animals like a snail and penguin. But Dedede has superhuman strength! He wields a hammer that probably weighs as much as you and can make a gorge with it! One good swing, and you're dead in an instant! And, like young Tiff, Escargoon is extremely intelligent too. In fact, he built a robot doppelganger of himself back on Popstar. Listen to me, and listen to me well on this part, you stubborn mother fucker: you are _**NO**_ commanding officer. You are just a simple puppet to Miles. You are USELESS. You should spare me the lecture, because I have made my point clear. You are NO soldier, no commanding officer, and no loyal American. In fact, your actions have hindered our progress in the war and we are in a stalemate with Isis! I have held this for years, and if you have anything to say about that," Then Lieutenant Callie pulled out a sword she took with her. It had a bright blue glow and sparks were faintly seen in the blade. The hilt was a jet black and had a bald eagle as an insignia. "You can answer to Sparkslicer. I will see myself to the door, thank you very much." And the Lieutenant spat in the Cossack's face. She sheathed her sword and walked out of the door, with the Kirby Characters following suit afterwards.

"I never knew you felt THAT much hatred toward him. That was kinda frightening." King Dedede remarked. "Well believe it, because I do feel that much hatred for that fool. You'll like the President much better." "Is his real name Miles? Because in your rant, you mentioned a man named Miles." Tiff said. "Yes, that's true. Everything I said was the truth. President McCloud told me himself that he just saw Frosthawk with no value. He even told him to stop breathing down my neck over missions, since he never did any. That Cossack is the must stubborn bullshit brained imbecile I have ever came across. We're near the Oval Office. Who wants to explain to President McCloud what your role is in this war?" Everyone pointed at Meta Knight, who muttered, "Real mature." Under his breath, rolling his eyes behind the mask. The Lieutenant flashed an incredulous look at the others. "Well... Meta Knight is the best one to explain things like this with the highest quality." "Alright. Just don't pull any stunts around the President." "Why would we?" "Just...! Don't." And, without another word, they went into the Oval Office.

"Lieutenant Sizemore, I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't show. Did Frosthawk keep you _that_ long?" President McCloud asked with a laugh afterwards. He was an inch taller than the Lieutenant. He looked quite young compared to both Lieutenant Callie and Agent Frosthawk. Like the agent, he had jet black hair, only without the graying streaks. He had sapphire blue eyes, a brighter more vivid blue than Kirby's. He wore a suit, like the normal attire most businessmen wear, but his style had a bit of an informal charm.

"Oy, yes, he did keep me for a while. But, about the war, what is it that you needed me for, sir?" "Oh, right. Since Frosthawk can't be relied on unto getting actual soldiers to aid our cause, I want you to be the one to enlist new soldiers. By the way, who are those strange extraterrestrials? Are they your old friends?" "Yes. And, they will be the new soldiers. You trust ny judgment, don't you, sir?" "Of course. You're my most trusted confidant, and my most trusted and loyal soldier, of course I trust you. But... why are your old friends here? What is their purpose?" President McCloud asked. Lieutenant Callie glanced at Meta Knight, signalling for him to speak now. He nodded in cooperation, speaking this: "We are here for the same reason the Lieutenant is: we want to end this war. We want to help!" Then, everything tensed up as the conversation went on. "I know about the pains that war creates. I was a part of that for hundreds of years, in fact, war has raged on for a great majority of my life. Imagine the lives of the children who lost a mother or father during this war. They'll grow up not even knowing who their mother or father was. Young Kirby over here knows about that hell, as do I," Then Meta Knight took of his mask, much to everyone else's surprise. His large oval shaped silver eyes had small beads of tears. The sight was quite sad to see.

"Dealing with the conscious pain of those you've slain, having the horrid nightmares for centuries, a weight like those deaths is hard to bear, especially if your lifespan is as great as the Puffal species. I apologize for straying off topic, but... this is too big of a weight..." Then Meta Knight strapped his mask back on and turned toward everyone else. "This whole war... I knew it would happen from the start. The nightmares I had before this all started told me of this inevitable crisis... it was a horrible sight to see..." After that, nobody, not even President McCloud said anything for a moment. He was silent, staring into Meta Knight's unblinking amber yellow eyes, drinking in every detail as if it were a mere glass of water. Though the others thought they imagined it, McCloud's eyes glowed a bright blue and his pupils dilated a little. Then the glowing ceasced after three minutes and he spoke.

"I am sorry to hear that. I understand too... Sir Meta Knight. In fact, my father died before I was born, and he was fighting in this very battle against Isis. War has raged on all my own life, Meta Knight. Though I don't have your battle scars to show for it, the mental factors, I do, and I feel sympathy for you. Now, back to business. Lieutenant Sizemore?" "Yes, sir?" "They are allowed to be soldiers, but they are your responsibility, since you know them the best. There is something I also have to tell you as well." "And that is...?" Callie asked. "Keep the Sages of Destonia in mind. Having info about them might be beneficial soon." President McCloud said before sitting back down in his chair. "We shall be off. I will take them to the Pentagon, and go on from there." And they left without another word."

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They went to the Pentagon. It took a while for them to get there; traffic in the city was awful. Lieutenant Callie exited the vehicle, again, the others following her in sync. She turned towards them, saying, "Follow me. It's very easy to get lost here, considering how long this building is. I'll show you to my laboratory. It's a bit of a walk from here." And they walked with the Lieutenant. It took over thirty minutes for them to find her laboratory.

Lieutenant Callie's laboratory was _huge._ 'Huge' isn't even the proper word to describe just how large the lab was. It was more spacious than that of the throne room in the castle back on Popstar. There were multitudes of lab equipment and chemicals. The chemicals were arranged on the means of potency, deadliness, least potent and so on. There was a giant monitor next to what looked like a giant DNA analyzer. A few chemicals laid there, untouched. There were several needles there too, more than enough for an individual blood sample at a time.

"Ok, here is where I'll give most of your physical." Lieutenant Callie explained. "Physical?" The Kirby Characters asked simultaneously. "Isn't that for hospitals and sports?" Blade asked. "Yes, usually. But this isn't a normal physical. I'll be analyzing your height, weight, and blood type. I'll also give tests on your physical strength and mental strength. The first things first are of the height and weight measurement." Then Lieutenant Callie looked around to choose the first person to be examined. "Come here, Sire." She commanded. King Dedede came towards her. "Stand on this device, please." "Isn't that just a scale?" "It measures both your height and weight, now stand on the damn thing!" "Ok, ok, geez!" King Dedede stepped onto the scale. In a matter of seconds, the Lieutenant was scribbling down notes.

"Do you want me to say it out loud?" Lieutenant Callie asked. "Well, yes!" "Alright then. Sire, your height is five feet, and you weigh 345 pounds. I actually thought you were gonna weigh even heavier, to be honest!" And with her comment, everyone began laughing. "Shut up! It's better than what I was!" King Dedede spat with embarrassment clear in his voice. "Moving on..." The Lieutenant remarked. She began doing the same thing with everyone else.

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"And, that would be the last measurement took. Next, onto the matters of blood type. I won't have to take a sample from Callie, since she is whom I was cloned from, and I know our blood type, which is AB negative, the rarest blood type." "What's so rare about that blood type? It's blood, and it flows through our veins, case closed." King Dedede deadpanned, which earned him a dark glare from the Lieutenant. "As you are unaware, both AB negative and positive blood types are actually potential universal plasma donors. The plasma from the rare blood is able to be donated to anyone, regardless of blood type, similar to the type O blood, which is the universal donor regardless. I'm going to take samples of your blood, put some in this machine here, and it will tell what type you are." "That is going to be a problem." Meta Knight said. "What do you mean?" "You won't have too much of a problem with Tiff, Tuff and everyone else, but Puffals have additional blood types based on what kind of Puffal they are. Star Jumpers are the most common Puffal, so their blood types are often the same as the AB and O types, but they also have possibilities of type K, KP, and P. Inhaler Puffals are significantly rare now, and what I remember from research, is that we can have a possibility of every human blood type. Well, all Puffals have the possibility of having one of all human blood types, but Inhaler Puffals commonly have KP, KS, or KPS, and those are the rarest blood types of our species. Do you think your machine will be able to tell of an unknown blood type?" "I think it can. Let me take a sample from you, so I can find out." And Lieutenant Callie pulled out a large needle. Just the sight of it made Meta Knight's eyes turn white.

"Put that accursed thing away!" He yelled, trying to escape. However, the Lieutenant was actually prepared for that to happen, and she used a plasma whip, grabbing the Puffal knight. "Someone help me pin him down." Lieutenant Callie commanded. The Puffal Callie came and pinned Meta Knight down. "Sorry!" She whispered to the knight. Meta Knight didn't say anything, but when the needle pierced his skin and drew blood, he thrashed wildly where he laid.

"Oh, calm down! Your trypanophobia can't be _that_ bad. Now, let's see what blood type this is..." Then the Lieutenant injected some of the blood into the machine. After three minutes, the machine came back with the results. "UNKNOWN BLOOD TYPE, UNKNOWN SPECIES." The machine droned. "What is the type?" "INHUMAN BLOOD TYPE: KPS NEGATIVE." "Oh. So that's what his type is. Is that the rarest type for the Puffal species, Meta Knight?" "Yes. It's the rarest because it can take and receive all blood types, because this blood type has no antigens." "So, that blood type is similar to both type AB and O?" "Yes. Now, may we move on to something else?" "Oh. Right. But first, I have to take samples of everyone else's blood." And so she did, and once their results came back, they went on to the final part of the physical.

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They left the lab to go to one final room. It was even more spacious that the Lieutenant's lab. There were several items strewn in a corner. Some looked similar to the connecting strap items one would usually see in a laser tag game. There were some ray guns that looked slightly similar to the one they saw strapped to the Lieutenant, only they was smaller, different in color, and didn't possess the bald eagle insignia that the Lieutenant's ray gun did possess. Lieutenant Callie walked to the area with the devices. She grabbed the strap armor device and gingerly tossed it to everyone. "Strap those on while I get the ray guns, they'll conform with your body." Lieutenant Callie said as she was getting four ray guns from the pile. She tossed them to Victoria, Tiff, Tuff, and Escargoon.

"Um, why do we need these?" Tiff asked. "For your final piece of the physical. Since you'll be fighting in a war with weapons and tactics unknown to most of you, exception being that of Meta Knight, since he is the only war veteran, you'll need to be tested. You have five pieces to one mission that you must complete. The first piece is to get all the way to the door over to the other side. The second piece is to retrieve a flash drive with important information. The third piece is to deactivate an explosive device. The forth piece is to rescue a hostage, and the final piece is to get back to base without any harm to come to the hostage. And, you have to do it all without having your own health depleted by enemy soldiers. There will be tangos on all sides. I will be in this chamber on the left over here that will simulate the environment you will be fighting in. Myself, and Sergeant Major Johnson will monitor your progress and take notes on your strengths, weaknesses, and ways to strengthen your strengths. Ok, I wish you good luck." And Lieutenant Callie walked into the chamber.

"Activate VRSTC Program 14 Alpha." "Yes, Lieutenant Sizemore." And the Sergeant Major activated the Virtual Reality Simulated Testing Chamber, or VRSTC for short. The environment shifted from a spacious, clean, bright white room to a fiery, disastrous all-out battlefield with hundreds of simulated Isis soldiers. All of them had distinct cybernetic armor. While, this was a simulation, it was supposed to be taken as seriously as a real battle. Meta Knight, Callie, Kirby, Sword, Blade, and King Dedede stormed on the front lines, attacking with no mercy, Tiff, Tuff, and Escargoon were staying in the back, taking the advantage of a long-ranged plasma weapon, although Escargoon was mostly attacking, surprising as it seemed. For the strangest part, he was using himself as a shield against the simulated gunfire. The two scientists glanced at each other with slight worried expressions before the Sergeant Major scribbled some notes down regarding Escargoon. Then she looked up, seeing that Tiff and Tuff were working as a singular unit to return fire and defend the snail, who was oblivious to their actions, thinking that he was still defending them. They didn't even see Victoria, who was following the others at the front lines, blazing away with her ray gun with impressive accuracy. She was unaware that she was further than everyone else except Callie and Meta Knight, who were about neck and neck with her.

However, for Callie and the other knights, Kirby, and King Dedede, it really was a different story. Callie and the other knights were decimating the simulated soldiers. Using tact, strategy, and sheer power, Callie and Meta Knight were the furthest ones in the battle, besides Victoria, whom they haven't heard one word from this whole time. Sword and Blade were keeping suit, following behind the best they can, and King Dedede wasn't even breaking a sweat on defeating the simulations. He would be further if it wasn't for the plan he devised as he went along. Knowing that his lackey and the Ebrum kids would play it safe, he recklessly attacked as many soldiers as possible. He would've done that anyway if Escargoon, Tiff, and Tuff chose to follow the others at the same pace. He knew Victoria was farther than he was, because he was actually paying attention to his surroundings. His so-called " _strategy_ " maybe the most costly, but at least he knows his surroundings and clears a path for his friends in advance. While hammering away at three of the simulated soldiers, he saw that Callie, Sword, Blade, Meta Knight, and Victoria were actually already at the door, waiting for him and the others.

"This ain't getting me nowhere!" King Dedede said before yelling and spinning for a spin attack. Simulations flying wildly several feet away from the penguin king lying " _dead_ " in piles. There was a straight path for Tiff and the others to run through. Taking the opportunity, the trio quickly ran into the open door. If the fighting was like that, the missions would be more difficult. It was slightly surprising that they weren't overwhelmed, but it was merely a test and they knew it. They couldn't rest, they still had the five pieces of the whole mission to do, and sitting like stones wasn't going to do them any good.

"Ok, I have a plan. We split up into groups. I'll take Meta Knight, Sword, Blade, and Escargoon. Victoria, you'll get everyone else. We're going after the explosive. You find the flash drive and we'll regroup when we get the hostage, affirmative?" "Affirmative." "Alright, let's do this!" Callie yelled with enthusiasm, although it seemed that was just to boost morale. "We better find the flash drive." Tiff said. "Come on!" Victoria commanded, motioning the others to follow her.

Callie was leading like an effective general. She often defeated the simulated soldiers in her path with ease. However, she wasn't growing cocky and overconfident, she knew that the real soldiers were going to be even more dangerous. She led them for a while, until they came across a strange device. It was shaped similar to the R2-D2 robot off of Star Wars, only it was double the size and had wires coming out of it like crazy. A timer that read 1:56 and counting was the distinct thing that gave the fact that this was the bomb away. "Escargoon, you think you can deactivate a bomb?" Callie asked. "I can try..." Escargoon replied with slight hesitance. He went to where the wires all protruded from and motioned Meta Knight his way. "Can you pry this open?" He asked. Meta Knight nodded and used Galaxia as a crowbar, breaking the panel off. Escargoon took a look at the wires, and then, carefully began removing ones of various colors. The blast charge was connected to a thick red wire, and Escargoon used a dagger that he slipped with him to slice the wire. The timer was stopped at the 14 second mark.

"That was close...!" Sword said with nervousness evident in his voice. "It's good that you're taking the simulation seriously. Maybe a bit too serious. But never mind that, we have two objectives complete. Let's regroup with Victoria and the others." And they went on to regroup. When they did, they saw that Victoria's group already had the flash drive.

"Are y'all ready? This might be the hardest part." Callie said gravelly. "We better get it done, then." Blade remarked with his tone of voice level with Callie. "There are two guards in there. We better be careful not to let them shoot the hostage." Victoria said. "Kaabi can use pwasma to shock t'em." "That's a good idea, but we could get compromised." "How about we have Escargoon fire the ray guns at their heads? He's the most accurate, he managed to get the most headshots." Tiff commented. "But that's at close range! Firing a ray gun isn't like throwing wooden stakes..." "Just do it, dammit, we're wasting time!" "Ok, ok!" And, with a silent crack, the first guard went down, and in a matter of seconds, literally, the second went down. The group went in and untied the hostage. And, the final, and most difficult challenge began.

They escaped out of the building with great speed. When they got out, they saw that the soldiers had reinforcements. No harm could come to the civilian hostage, so nine people from the group circled around the civilian. The primary attacker now was King Dedede. Using his great strength, and the surprising combined range of his arm length and his hammer, whirled around in a dizzying tornado that carved a path through the soldiers. While he was taking the most damage and holding the soldiers off singlehandedly, he gave an opening for everyone else to hightail it back to the base successfully. And, with that, the simulation ended. The Lieutenant came out with a clipboard and a broad smile.

"That was amazing! That has got to be the best performance anyone has ever achieved on Program 14 Alpha! You actually performed as if it were a real battle! You passed the test, but we were able to analyze some weak points. Tiff and Tuff, you were relying too much on Escargoon as a shield in the beginning, but your stealthiness proved effective on the flash drive heist, and your shooting accuracy was superb. That is that for you two. King Dedede, while your "brute force strategy" proved to be very effective, it also caused you a great deal of damage. In a real battle, your wooden hammer will inevitably be disintegrated. That is all for you. And last but not least, Kirby. Your Copy Ability proved to be very useful on the battlefield, but there were near friendly fire incidents. As for strengthening all of you, I'll take care of that tomorrow. Let's go back to my house for a deserved rest. It's almost 6:00." And with that, they went on for another long drive back to Lieutenant Callie's house.

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It was 9:23 at night. Meta Knight laid in his bed, sleep evading him again. He remembered, even after the physically and mentally exhausting day he went through, what President McCloud said. _"Keep the Sages of Destonia in mind. Having info on them might be beneficial soon..."_ _The Sages of Destonia... I wonder if Serafina knows about them...?_ Meta Knight thought. He climbed out of his bed and went out of the room and went out behind the house. He summoned Serafina again.

"How may I assist?" She asked. "I need to know... who are the Sages of Destonia?" "Ah. The Sages of Destonia are powerful people, humans and Puffals and other species otherwise. They are my followers, gifted with one ability from my control of Time and Space. How there are humans that know of my presence is because the children of miracles, the children who were once destined to die in infancy, miraculously beat those odds, they were blessed with a special gift. But, only one has been born with both control and mastery of Time and Space." "Is that the Hero of Destonia?" "Yes. The Hero of Destonia has certain qualities that make him or her very special. They have a kind heart, able to lighten the tension in the darkest hour, they are quirky and naive by nature, and they often possess a unique charm that guards the pure hearts of the young and innocent. Much like Fauna." "Fauna? But she perished decades ago. Was she the Hero?" "Fauna was supposed to be the Hero of Destonia, but she sacrificed herself to save Kirby long before she even knew I even existed. But, her spirit still lives within a young hero. Think: who is the person Kirby is around that possesses these qualities?" And Meta Knight did do some thinking, but it didn't take long for him to realize who she was talking about.

"Victoria?! _She_ has the powers of both Time _AND_ Space?! How?!" "That, I cannot explain. But, you will know a Sage when you see one, Meta Knight. Keep those Sages close to your heart, you may need their power someday real soon." And those were Serafina's final words before she disappeared to the stars again.

Meta Knight went back inside and crawled into his bed. He was satisfied he had some answers, but this goes much deeper than a mere war. What else is hidden in this mystery? And what do the Sages of Destonia have to do with it?

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 **Author's** **Note: Oh my gosh! I finally finished Chapter 3! If you've read the story, _Kirby's Prophecy_ by Kirbywarriorsfan122, then you'll be able to recognize the name Fauna and shout-out to her for allowing me to use her character. Longest chapter so far. *sigh* Three chapters done and still nothing. Remember to Read and Review, the little button doesn't bite, does it? Well, till next time, sorry for long Author's Note- CallieSizemore601**


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